Just do the best you can at this present time. A can of tuna will be so much better than pizza or a sandwich, add some avocado and vegetables. Eggs, fruit, cheaper cuts of meat, vegetables are all doable. If you are overwhelmed just make small changes. I started with giving up wheat completely, then corn. I still eat some white potatoes and rice and still feel much better than I did. When you are overwhelmed, just slow down. I've eased my young daughter to at least 80/20 in about 5 or 6 weeks with these kind of changes. Her skin is clearing and she's so much more pleasant to be around. So it's worth it; not perfect, but worth it. Try to catch whatever is on sale and figure out new ways to cook old favorites. Some things that a lot of us eat will be cost-prohibitive on your budget, but don't fret over pastured vs. conventional, etc. My motto: the worst carrot is still better than the best Snickers bar. Pick whole food over junk and do your best. You will get there in time.

03-21-2013, 06:55 PM

Cryptocode

[QUOTE=mageta;1134412]Are there specific goals or something? Ketosis sounds dreadful to me and I wouldn't attempt it, for convenience sake I naturally fall into low carb. I definitely don't need to lose weight or anything, my goals are just to feel better, have consistent energy and not crash.[/QUOTE]

No, they're not goals they're definitions from Mark's book. Not everyone uses them the same way though. I wouldn't worry about it. If you're doing PB you are doing at least HFLC and that's all you need.

03-21-2013, 09:21 PM

s-piper

I hear ya about the endless fighting, and the cost.
For the former avoid blogs, and don't take anyone's word as God's honest truth. Find what makes you feel most healthy.
The cost, I've found you just have to accept it if you can't afford grassfed meat and organic produce. It's not all or nothing. Just cooking for yourself is better than living on pizza and Raman noodles.
Also, fixing things at home really will become a habit even with a busy student's schedule. I know that seems unlikely, but I swear it's true! You just have have to make it priority to do it, and eventually you'll think about it less. It also helps to cook things a head of time and freeze them so that you have something ready when you get home from a long shift at work. If you don't have a crockpot, I'd recommend investing in one. You can find fairly affordable $20-30 ones online and at WalMart.

As for ketosis, I'm not sure what you mean by it sounds dreadful.
I know there's all kinds of horror stories, especially from the vegan crowd, about how you lose weight on it because it makes you too sick to eat or will lead to life threatening ketoacidosis. Both are bullshit. If you aren't diabetic then your risk of ketoacidosis is miniscule at best. People go on ketogenic diets for many reasons, and some stay on for months without harm. Also, I haven't found that you really feel much different than normal in ketosis. It did initally tank my appetite, but I didn't feel nauseous or sick... just not in the mood to eat. However, that went away after a few days.
Anyway, there's no reason you ever need to go into ketosis even if you were trying to lose weight. You can do so without it, and just for health you can certainly do Primal without it. I just wanted to clear up that it's nothing to fear unless you're diabetic.

03-21-2013, 09:42 PM

jammies

What are your goals in eating this way? If you are otherwise healthy, rice and potatoes are a very reasonable addition and can help stretch your budget. If you are willing/able to soak your beans properly before eating they become a not too terrible food that you can add in on occasion to cut costs and fill you up. If you can tolerate peanuts okay you might be able to try peanut butter instead of almond butter.

There is a saying used frequently around here [B]"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good"[/B]. If you can avoid highly processed foods, industrial seed oil, wheat, and most chemical additive you'll be doing a world of good for your body.

03-22-2013, 02:33 AM

Damiana

Economies of scale has nothing to do with me keeping prices down. I live near a lot of ethnic food stored and I get my produce and meats for dirt cheap. I don't buy organic. If I did and shopped at Whole Foods, I'd be paying $3 for a head of lettuce instead of 59 cents.

03-22-2013, 03:10 PM

sbhikes

Watch for sale meats. Just because it's on sale doesn't mean it's bad. Put it in the freezer.

Check out small ethnic markets. Sometimes meat and produce is way cheaper there. One near me has real butchers and chicken is sometimes on sale for 69 cents a pound, which is cheap for where I live.

If you can find someone with a Costco card, try Costco for bulk purchases (or similar membership stores). Make sure it really is cheaper before you buy though. It sometimes isn't.

Have just a few go-to meals and stick with them until you can't stand it anymore. Then try something else. It's a lot cheaper when your meals are simple and monotonous because then you don't buy a bunch of produce you end up throwing away because it went bad before you could figure out what to do with it.

Use rice and potatoes as fillers.

03-23-2013, 02:58 AM

Kochin

I eat for between 40p and £2 a meal.
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